Not quite paradise
by lee tea
Summary: It wasn't quite paradise, but it was starting to feel like home. JackKate, and katesawyer at the end. spoilerish up till the hurley episode.
1. under any other circumstances

Just another story about Kate and Jack, because they're so cute. I don't own lost or any of the characters, and spoilers through until all the best cowboys have daddy issues. I posted this before, but edited it to contain that part (all the best cowboys..) of the original story line. Oh, and also a little sawyer Shannon banter in there. Refrences to Charlie Claire will be made throughout. Cuz they rox my sox as well. Feedback would totally rock.

Chapter 1: under any other circumstances.

He was lost. Jack was hopelessly, helplessly lost. On this island in the middle of nowhere, he had managed to get himself lost. It was a funny thing really, because he was usually a responsible person. And even though what happened couldn't have been prevented, he couldn't help berating himself for it.

He was the doctor. The brave strong doctor, who would take care of everyone, and make sure everyone stayed safe. But he thought it would be nice if the mantle got passed down every once in a while, because Jack didn't know if any of those things were true; if it was possible to keep everyone safe, without supplies and a steady source of food and water…it was something that Jack didn't mind doing, but he knew that there would come a point when even for him, the hope would break, shatter into little pieces on the ground. That time was coming, he knew, it was coming faster than ever now that Claire and Boone and Locke were missing. Everyone was holding strong so far, but doubt and fear, this paralyzing _fear_, were slowly ebbing away all of that hope, leaving nothing but black emptiness.

And now, with more than one of their own missing, his role had intensified even more. Locke was right; let him be the doctor and he the hunter. This overwhelming sense of security had kicked in, but they had found Charlie and he forgave himself for it. It was odd to think that Claire was lost on an island on which they were all lost anyways. Plus, their hunter and Boone were missing too. They should have been back by now. Maybe they found something…but it was too easy to hope for, so it was more humane to think that something had found them.

The track of thinking was, "what can we do to get rescued?" But soon, that track would have to switch to "What can we do to avoid getting killed for the longest amount of time as possible?" It was sad and scary and terrible, but it was the truth, and Jack had always been truthful with himself.

Some of the castaways had relatives with them, like Boone and Shannon, Jin and sun, Michael and Walt, and in a strange way, Claire had someone too, her baby. That was a problem in itself, considering how she was due soon, and sure, Jack was a doctor, but he wasn't a miracle worker. Shannon wasn't holding out well, and her asthma had increased due to her worrying about Boone, and Sun had been helping her out with her herbal remedies that worked wonders. He wondered if Claire was dead…if whoever took her had realized in their haste that she was pregnant. If that's the reason why they took her in the first place. He wondered if she had the baby already. It could have been any day now. But Claire had Charlie too. Charlie had been in this gray haze since Claire left. He wouldn't...eat, or talk, and they barely got him to drink water every couple of hours. He wouldn't sleep; his eyes were always open and set into the jungle to an unforeseen location. Jack found himself wondering if Charlie was lost without Claire, or if he felt himself breaking apart because he couldn't have saved her. Other than that though, everyone else was alone. They all had to make friends, make acquaintances, and get to know each other slowly. It was the same for him. Jumping outta that plane and running outta that jungle and that hole in his side that was absolutely killing him, and he was alone, but then he found her, and they just stuck together.

It sounded corny even to Jack, and even more ironic, considering how they were on a deserted island, but when he was around Kate, he just, opened up, he wanted to tell her everything, and he didn't mind playing leader and doctor at all when she was around. Actually, he wouldn't mind playing anything with Kate. He didn't feel …so solitary…when he was with her. Jack was always the one being depended on, never the other way around. His father's motto might as well have been, "if you can't do it alone, you can't do it at all." But he needed Kate. He didn't know why, or how 3 years of med school training , keep your head cool, learn all the procedures by heart, if there's an emergency, learn to handle it on your own, how all those teachings plus spending his whole childhood learning things on his own were disregarded when he was around her. It was wonderful but it was frightening because Jack didn't want to lose who he was.

And even though it was probably terribly selfish, he had this overwhelming need to make sure she was alright all the times, to make sure she wasn't in trouble. She was just, so……_beautiful_. Just her hair, and those, those, _eyes_, and her legs - _god_- her legs, they were so long, and perfect and her lips, they were perfect too, and everything about her was perfect! But really, he knew that was untrue.

Because Kate had supposedly done something very bad. And she wouldn't tell him, and it hung between them. He knew that he had had his chance to know, and he blew over it, not wanting to know, not wanting it to take away this perfect image that was Kate. She looked so strong. Always taking the most dangerous missions, climbing trees, running through the jungle, away from god knew what, partly he thought, because she wanted to make sure she proved her worth to everyone else, and make sure the job got done. Not having someone like Shannon do it, because Shannon didn't seem like…a working person. But Jack though another part of it was proving all these things to herself, trying to erase self doubt, trying to erase that girl who was actually afraid of all of those things. Jack didn't know for sure, he didn't really know at _all_. But he would sometimes see her looking at him when they sat on the beach, with her wide eyes, and she looked so naive, and afraid. He was afraid too. He saw her eyes when they were with Charlie, these perfect orbs of emotions he couldn't describe even if he wanted to. But being around her kind of eased it away some. I mean, after all, even under the worst circumstances, it wasn't that bad, being stuck on a tropical island with a beautiful woman.

Jack had his secrets as well. Some that went deep and dark and threatened to spill out sometimes. Kind of like his tattoos. She had asked about those. She had been so close to him, and he just wanted to kiss her, but that would have been awkward with Charlie standing there being all moody, and Locke with his hunting knives. Charlie was so into Claire it wasn't funny, he wondered if she knew. He wondered if she would ever get the _chance_ to know…now that she was missing. Some of those memories he'd rather have stay down; he wasn't ready to take them out yet.

Thinking about that made him think of his life at home. He told Kate that they had all died when the plane crashed, and it was true. But it was sad; knowing that what _was_ would never be again. His family and his job, and his home, and his friends....but what good would thinking about that do, because he couldn't imagine going back home without Kate anyways. Jack had never been short on women. The line, "I'm a doctor," goes a lot farther than you think, he thought. None of them were ever serious, none of them ever lasted anything more than a month or two. None of them ever made him feel what he felt when he looked at Kate. He had never taken a girl home to meet his mother. He wondered if he could take Kate home though...she'd _love_ that he thought, smiling to himself. It was quite stupid though, thinking all of this about Kate when he hardly knew anything about her. Plus, how could anything like that ever come out of this situation? Wishful thinking, but it kept him sane for the time being.

Wishful thinking….it wasn't wishful yesterday when they had found Charlie...it was desperate. If they hadn't found Charlie alive Jack didn't know what he would have done. And she told him, no its too late, its too late, and it probably was, but he couldn't…stop himself. He didn't know whether it was memories of his dad, or about that woman whom he'd in a way, murdered, or if it was about the look on the husbands face when he had spoken with his father. He couldn't even think, it was just trying to revive Charlie, and trying and trying, and Kate was crying. She was crying and he didn't know if he would be able to face any of them if Charlie died. He wondered if he would be able to face her if Charlie died. She was pulling him away and looking at him and shaking her head and it was breaking his heart, and he was sure it was breaking hers…but he didn't stop and he pulled back and he thanked every saint and god and inch of heaven that he'd ever learned about because something…_something_ had saved Charlie that day, and the two of them sat with him, crying, listening to the most blessed and almost foreign sound they'd ever heard…Charlie's breathing.

He had fallen down the hill and Ethan had come and didn't help the situation any, and Kate was there and her hands were on his face, trying to get him to wake up and there was this masked emotion and fear and he just…he didn't want to let her down. He asked her to tell him something true, and he thinks now if maybe that was too harsh, but she looked at him and told him and he believed her because she said it with such clairvoyance and it _clicked _and he nodded his head and they kept going.

He'd admit it, even though he had trusted all on the island, he was madly jealous of Sawyer. She told him they had a connection. AND he heard from Hurley who heard from Shannon who heard from someone else that he had kissed her, but he hadn't asked her about it. He hoped like hell it wasn't true. He hated Sawyer. He hated him. Always making cracks, calling her freckles….he would love to count all the freckles Kate had…not just the ones on her face either. But Jack and Sayid had done something terrible and Sayid had left and Kate was angry at him, but he didn't know why, and he thought it was the right thing, and in a way it worked out all right, Sayid had returned with news of the French lady but Kate spoke to him about it with this sadness that he couldn't place and a knowledge he couldn't comprehend. He didn't know why she wouldn't come with him to the caves, and he didn't know about sawyer, or what she had done. He didn't know who she was, or who she wanted to be, or her favorite color, or whether she drank milk from the carton or from a glass. He didn't know any of these things, but it was alright because she would smile at him and what he knew was that she could brighten up his day like no one else ever could and that was enough.

Someone was calling him from inside the jungle, it sounded like Hurley. Something about going to the beach, to look at… something? Kate was at the beach. He lost focus for a minute and he didn't quite hear the rest of what he said. Jack had climbed up to the top of one of the caves, looking up through a clearing in the trees above him. Under any other circumstances, the scene would have been pleasant; tall lush greenery, tropical birds flying through, little waterfalls and granite like caves….

The scenery would have to wait though, because the doctor was needed and it was best to move quickly down the path to the beach. He shouted back to Hurley that he was coming and started to walk.

Review review fellow friends! Tis greatly appreciated.

Oh, forgot to mention, the title name and idea for the last lines comes from bliss 66's "not quite paradise", off the titan A.E soundtrack.

Oh, and all you other stories I'm writing, I haven't forgotten about you!


	2. Hairline Fractures

Right, so here's chapter two, got it up pretty fast I think. As always, I don't own lost, and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Chapter two: hairline fractures

Kate was sitting on the beach, looking out at the ocean. It was odd for her to just be sitting, not helping sayid with anything, not even helping Claire…but then again, she couldn't help Claire anymore because she didn't know where Claire was.

The breeze blew back at her hair, loose strands coming undone from the bun she'd put it into minutes before.

She and Jack and Boone and Locke had gone separate ways before they'd found Charlie. Boone and Locke went the _other_ way, and the two of them went _their_ way, and she had just stopped. Stopped, moving, talking, breathing…when they had found him. He was just… hanging there and she was choking back these sobs because this was it, surely this was it, there was no way he could be alive. But Jack… Jack told her what to do, and she climbed the tree and cut him down, and watched with this silent horror as Jack pounded on his chest, and tried and tried and tried…but it didn't work.

The wind wasn't blowing her hair back then, the rain had plastered her hair and clothing to her body, the sweat and dirt mingling with this sense of oncoming loss that was too big to ignore.

She told him to stop, she told him it was useless, that it wouldn't work, and she took his hand and he looked at her like, how could you give up on him? And his eyes were so wide, and she was just crying, these silent sobs, and she let go of his hand and left his side and stood. She could no longer hear the birds, or the leaves or animals or rainfalls in the distance, all she could hear was Jacks fist on Charlie's chest slowly slowing down. She couldn't see Jack crying, but he was, and she knew that if Charlie died, they would all blame him. Kate didn't know if he would be able to handle that. Would she? Probably not. Was it that that fueled him? The thought of recoil and rejection? Or the fact that Charlie was dying and he might not be able to save him. She wouldhave asked, but the words would not form in her mouth, it was full of blood and bile from biting her tongue to keep from throwing up.

Then it just happened and Charlie was coughing and gasping and his eyes were bloodshot and he had bruises and cuts everywhere, but he was alive, and he was breathing, and the three of them sat mismatched and tired and dirty and just…holding. Holding onto each other, holding onto whatever was left of hope and solidarity and she couldn't even speak.

They had come back that night, Jackcarrying Charlie to the camp, and there was this cheering and everyone was so happy, even though they knew that they really had no reason to celebrate. Locke and Boone had not come back and everyone was getting worried, and they looked to Jack and herself for answers. She thought she kind of knew what Jack had to do everyday, telling people small white lies for them to stay happy, even though you knew in your heart that what you told them probably wouldn't come true. Hurley had got Jack to sleep, she bet that he hadn't slept at all in the last3 days. She didn't see him that night, and by the time she woke up in the morning, he was already back at the caves, fixing things, answering questions, healing hurts, mending doubt.

Hurley was running up the beach into the caves, and Kate turned her head because anything made Hurley run like he was running now had to be important. He went into the Jungle on the set path they had cleared to that area they had crossed off in the jungle as home base. He was calling for Jack, where was Jack, he needed Jack to come to the beach and her head shot up and god she wished for a minute that she had a mirror, but she didn't, and she didn't know why she was smoothing out her shirt, and fixing her hair into another semi neat bun, and sitting up straighter, because she didn't give a damn about what he thought about her, except that she did.

The thing was, was that she really _did_ care about what he thought, and it wasn't on purpose either. This stupid island had claimed them all and her first priority when she realized that she was alive was to stay unattached long enough for people not to ask questions. But he was there and he needed her help and it had been a long time since someone had looked at her with clear eyes, so she did.

And they just sort of…stuck. And Kate wasn't sure she knew how to deal with it. She could lie like a pro, but she didn't know if she could trust to save her mother. Not that she would want to save her mother. But Jack was so…she couldn't place it. Willing. To know her. She hadn't felt that in a long time. Come to think of it, she hadn't felt anything but fear and remorse and ugh, all these bad things for a long time. She felt longing though. Not for a family. She didn't want to be tied down with three kids and a husband who came home everyday from work expecting a back rub and dinner on the table. It wasn't in her to want that. She longed for a friend. She longed for a time when she could stop running, and catch her breath. But she never could, and time doesn't stop for criminals. And as much as she wanted these things, she didn't because she knew what trust and love could do to break a person, and she had slowly been piecing herself together again. Then here comes this…guy, who's just…._god_, amazing and funny and nice and sweet and god, a _doctor_! And just tall, with these _muscles_, and eyes that just looked _through_ her and it scared her because she didn't know if it was worth it to trust someone just to be broken again.

Jack knew about her mug shot. He knew that she had done something bad and that she probably shouldn't be trusted, but he looked at her with kind eyes and he told her that they should all be able to start over, and she trusted him. The words were almost foreign to her. It didn't help matters that whenever he touched her she felt like her senses were heightened to a billionth degree. Back on the mainland, she never would have thought that she could be friends with someone like him. He was the privileged doctor with the money and the good looks and the big house in the country, and she was the lost little girl looking for a way outta life.

She had secrets that even she herself did not acknowledge, but seeing Jack go at Charlie made her think that maybe Jack had skeletons in his closet too. Not again, he'd said, I can't let it happen again. She didn't know what he meant, and at the time, she was just so happy firstly that he was alive, and happy that Charlie was alive, and she was just holding onto them both and crying and she had never felt such overwhelming relief. His tattoos still puzzled her, because they didn't seem to fit the puzzle that was jack. They covered his whole left bicep and she wanted to know what they meant. But she would have to give something of herself for that information. She wasn't used to wanting to share.

Hurley wasn't back yet, and the wind had picked up and was blowing her hair back again and her hair tie was lost within the sand. She leaned back and searched for it, she only had two others, she couldn't afford to lose one now. She started digging for it and it reminded her of when Jack was stuck in the cave and she was digging like a madwoman, because the thought of being stuck here without Jack made her so scared she didn't _want_ to think about it. And then he came out of nowhere and she had hugged him and she saw some of the looks that they got whenever they walked together, from other castaways. It felt like High School, not that that had been the greatest experience of her life, but it felt good. To have someone look forward to see you. To have someone tell you something and mean it. To have someone want to take care of you.

Kate knew that Jack didn't understand why she wouldn't come to the caves. She just couldn't….stay. She couldn't depend on him like that. She needed to stay independent. But that wouldn't last for very long because when he was there she was talking with him and when he wasn't there she was looking for him. She was going to go out and look for Claire and Boone and Locke tomorrow, even though Claire got first priority, and Locke was a hunter so he could, hopefully take care of himself and Boone. Jack would go too, even though he knew he should stay and be the doctor. And maybe it was selfish but she wanted him to go along because without him she would worry and second guess herself the whole time.

_There_ it was, her hair tie ,three feet away stuck on a jutting piece of fuselage. She knelt in the sand and lifted her arms over her head to put her hair back in a bun. All of her tops were hanging to dry so that the dirt stains from the Charlie hunt would be hopefully, gone, courtesy of Sun and her magical inventions.Sun made a lineout of the long grass as a clothing rack, and it worked too.Shannon had given her a top to wear, and she felt quite foolish wearing the little pink camisole that barely reached her belly button. It's not as though she was ashamed of herself or anything, years of running away from the cops will take off any pounds you wanted to lose, but it was just not her, and the little flowers on the low v-neck bodice didn't help much either. Shannon said she looked good in it. Shannon wasn't that bad actually. Without her, they never would have known what the French lady was saying. Last night at the campfire she braided Hurley's hair because he fell asleep while he was sitting, and he woke up and took them all out, shouting at everyone, and when all the braids were gone he had a huge afro that was just as big this morning and it gave everyone a good laugh.

Kate heard a whistle behind her and lowered her arms and swiveled around to see sawyer walking up towards her.

"Lookin fine there Freckles. As much as I like it, I must say that is an interesting choice of apparel you got goin' on there." Ugh. She didn't hate Sawyer. She just found him a bit…too southern for her liking. But he was deeper than that and she knew it, and she had kissed him and she didn't know why but she had gone in again, and maybe it was because it had been so long since someones lips had been on hers like that, and the moment was there…but nothing else. She wasn't really thinking…and even though he wasn't evil or anything like that; the sneer he would give the others sometimes didn't agree with her and it scared her a bit. She just didn't find him to be anyone she would get involved with. Maybe before she was caught, before the crash, for the money. She winced at the memories and clutched her arms to her chest as she stood up to face him.

"What do want Sawyer?" She said curtly, she didn't feel like talking to anyone right now let alone Sawyer, and to her relief he just said that he was coming back from the caves, bringing water. She told him that it was a change for him, helping out. He told her not to count on it, smirked, and went past her. She heard a shill screech behind her and knew that it was Shannon.

"Hey! You took my sunglasses asshole!" She said, walking towards him. It was true Kate thought, they were hanging off the front of his jeans. He told her not to get her panties in a twist and that he had them. He called her sticks, referring to the fact that Shannon's legs were so long, and she told him once upon a time to stop calling her that, but he kept doing it, and she didn't protest.

Maybe her and Jack weren't the only ones with an inside joke she said to herself and smiled as she swatted him and he dodged her and she cursed at him and they laughed.

Laughing too. She hadn't done that in a while. It wasn't as though she was depressed , but always being on the run would do that to a person she supposed. It was difficult for Kate. Maybe there was something wrong with her, she didn't know. She didn't have full body laughs like Jack. When Jack laughed his whole face lit up and you could just feel it. Jack. Jack Jack Jack! Why did she make everything about him?! It wasn't healthy, get a grip on yourself Kate. Jack didn't know her. She had been to hell and back before she ever met Jack. Jack didn't want to know if she wasn't willing to tell him, and it made her happy to think that he would wait . Even though she knew he wouldn't wait forever. But forever didn't seem so far away on this island. No, Jack didn't know her at all. That's why it was funny to think that he knew when she was sad or angry, and he knew her mannerisms, and he would look at her and reassure her when she was worried and all these little things that made up to be a pretty big whole when you looked at it from far away. But Kate just wasn't sure.

She hears voices behind her but she doesn't look this time and she walks forward slowly into the water, soaking the hems of her pants. And she knows she should roll them up but it's too much of a hassle because Kate's caught up in memories and they're drowning her just like they always do. Kate was beautiful but broken, perfect but flawed, smashed but pieced together somehow, and this made up whole would never be as good as the original and she knew it; because as much as she tried to hide it, the hairline fractures showed through and they were as big as any scar that Kate could ever imagine.

The breeze was back and it was stronger than before and it blew her hair tie out again, into the tide that brought it back out to that never ending ocean. But she didn't move this time, just watched as it was swallowed slowly from view.

* * *

Riight. So uh, another chapter, tell me what you think. 


	3. the only constant is change

Well here we go guys, the third and final chapter of the lovely little Kate/ Jack story. Following the story line of the show, I tried to make it as realistic as possible, by not just totally blocking sawyer out and not having him in the story, or making him and Kate mortal enemies or something, because that's not how it is right? A bit of a sad ending, but I liked how it turned out! Anyways, Review please, it just makes my day. Oh and one more thing before we depart….

LIVE JACK LIVE!

Chapter three: the only constant is change

It's odd to think how much can change in an instant. How much you can change, or change the impression of you by those around you.

Kate wasn't used to regularity. But she hadn't been prepared for that. The briefcase. The briefcase was all that mattered, and she would have done anything to get it. That's when Kate got angry at herself. When the demons in her head took over everything and refused to let go. When she couldn't stop them. When she wasn't strong enough, to stop them.

"Nice slight of hand. Give me the key." It didn't even sound like Jack - but it _had_ to be, because it looked like him, and smelled like him and it was wearing the same clothes as him - but it couldn't have been Jack. Because Jack had never spoken to her like he knew her. But he did then; and he knew that she was expecting to get away with it, that she would have betrayed their promise.

It _was_ Jack. Maybe it was just her ears that were'nt working. And in that moment, she hated herself. Stupid Kate had fucked up again, and she was so much lesser for it. And that night at the bonfire, he walked past her, and he _almost_ turned…almost. Jack never did anything halfway, that much she knew about him. But he had second guessed himself then, and it was about her. They never spoke about it ….and to anyone else who knew about "the incident", it would seem as though he had forgiven her. But they were wrong, because Kate knew a little bit about trust.

She knew that it was hard to get, but insanely easy to lose. And she knew that once you lost it, you could never _truly_ get it back, could never truly go back to the way things were. That the person who you hurt would never truly forgive you. That you would always be second guessed. _Always_. Kate knew. That was the story of her life.

Kate's not a good person and she hates Jack for making her think that she could be. Kate knows that bad people never really change. Sure, they can change parts of themselves, but full on, 360 degree changes? Yea, right. Maybe with a miracle.

Then she remembers - she's seen a lot of miracles lately.

It's odd to think how much can change in an instant. How much you can change, or change the impression of you, by those around you. Sometimes, they're negative changes, sometimes positive, and sometimes a little bit of both. Kate thinks she fits into the latter category- hey; she'll take what she can get.

Jack thinks she's a good person. Maybe, just maybe, that isn't so far from the truth.

Not much has changed on the island. The ocean tides come up and down at the same time every day, the trees are still too high to get the coconuts down easily, and the wind still whispers in all their ears, giving them subtle hints that they are not alone here.

But the people? The people have changed somewhat indeed. Jack Supposes that the biggest change of all was _"the Claire discovery"_, as Hurley has come to call it - it always follows with his rendition of x files music. She was back physically, but mentally? No one really knew for sure he guesses, except maybe Charlie who was so extremely elated at her return that he almost cried. Charlie and Claire. Nice little ring to it Jack supposes. He thought before, he knows know; that Charlie is in love with Claire. He's seen some bad in his life and jack knows it, and Claire has so much good, so much overwhelming good in her that Charlie becomes someone a little happier every day. Kate thinks it's sweet.

_Kate._

Jack doesn't know about Kate anymore. So much…happened with that stupid briefcase and jack saw a part of her that was ruthless and cold and unfeeling. Unwilling.

And he didn't like it.

But he knew she was sorry, and now whenever she looks at him, there is this split screen sadness that inhabits her eyes. But sometimes Jack finds it hard to accept that. After all, he is only a doctor - not a saint.

But he can't turn his back on her, because he needs her and it's an odd sensation, a tugging on his heartstrings that he can't ignore. Kate is a good person, he knows it. He just wished that she knew it too, that it would be okay for her to let her guard down, just once.

For him? For Sawyer? As much as he hates to admit it, they _do_ have a connection. They just _get_ each other. Cliché right? That's what he thought too.

She smiles more know, even though the smiles that reach her eyes only happen when she's with Sawyer now - there is too much between them for the gap to ever truly close.

Maybe not on this island

Maybe not in this lifetime.

Jack shouldn't believe in reincarnation. A doctor is supposed to be practical and so he is what he must be to keep the system working. Jack likes things to be in control. He knows that, and he knows that Kate knows that. There are things on this island that he can't control, more extreme than most settings.

He knows that miracles happen - he's seen Charlie and Claire with his own eyes, he's seen her remember with him. But he can't decide when they come.

He knows that secrets come out - Just look at Kate he thinks. And Hurley, and Jin and Sun. But he can't control what the secrets are, or what they do to the people around him.

And he knows that even though it doesn't look like it, he can _feel_ it - the island may not be changing, but it's changing him. For the better? He doesn't know that either. He is wiser though, a more educated man now than when he first arrived. It scares him to think of it like that. That he could be changed so much.

He sees Kate sitting on the beach as he walks down the path. Sawyer comes up to him, and she smiles.

Yea, it reaches her eyes. For a minute, he's sad, lost in the memory of the smiles she gave to him once. But slowly, he comes out of it, and his feet start moving again, the small frown replaced by a twinkle in his eyes.

He can't change what the island does to them. And for once in his life, he's okay with that.

Because Jack shouldn't believe in reincarnation, but he does. He believes in the looks Kate gives him when she thinks he's not looking, the brush of her arm on his as she's walking by.

She might be walking to Sawyer, but it's there;

A connection of their own.

He sees her turn around and wave slowly at him, a smile just barely playing on her lips. He studies sawyer for a minute, and he knows that she's watching him still, apprehensively, gauging his reaction to the sight.

To both of their surprise, he smiles fully at her, and waves a bit in return. He walks off the path then, and continues on the higher area of the beach.

Kate thinks he doesn't notice, but he does; just before he turns around, she smiles at him.

And yea, it reaches her eyes.

Fin


End file.
